‘Immigration policies of Canada’ are the main ‘reason behind the increment in degree holders’

According to a new study, there is a big gap between the Canadians when the distinguishing criteria are University Degrees. The study found that the visible minorities show greater tendency to have a University Degree in comparison to the white Canadians. The study pointed out that the gap is growing thick and fast.

Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, analyzed the 2006 census results and determined a 20-point gap between the visible minority and the white Canadians in case of acquiring a University Degree. All those who were analyzed were aged between 35-44 years. Actually, the white Canadians and especially the white males were found out to be least likely to have a University Degree, or Diploma. After the findings, Jedwab said that he was really surprised by the findings.

The study found that the Korean Canadians constituted the highest proportion of the University educated people. Almost 74.7 percent of those analyzed had a University Degree. The Filipino Canadians with 58.6 percent and Chinese Canadians with 58.4 percent, at the second and third positions, followed the Korean Canadians respectively. Arab Canadians closely followed the rest with university graduates making up 51.6 of their total population. The study also found that 48.5 percent of the Japanese Canadians had got University Degree, followed by the West Asians and the South Asians respectively.

It was found that the university education was severely lacking among the Latin Americans and the Black community. Only 33 percent and 30.1 percent of these managed to get University Degree respectively. Among all, the group that had minimum percentage of university educated people were the white Canadians, with only 25.9 per cent of them being university graduate.

Jedwab said that the fact that the Canadian immigration policy gives preference to those with university degrees is the key to these findings. According to Statistics Canada, among the people who migrated to Canada between 2001 and 2006, 51 per cent had acquired university degree. This was far above the proportion of the Canadians who hold university degree, which is only 20 per cent. Among the people who arrived into Canada before 2001, only 28 percent had university degree. As a result of this, the overall level of university degree holders in Canada has risen dramatically, with the proportion of the Canada-born people acquiring a university degree remaining the same.

Hugh O’Heron, a senior policy analyst with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, said that he wasn’t surprised by the findings at all, due to the preference in immigrants with university degrees.